The ship, which originally sailed from Seattle, plowed a channel through about 15 miles (24 kilometers) of ice about 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) in the McMurdo Sound strait. According to a Coast Guard press release, the Antarctica operation faced multiple logistical challenges, including flooding in the ship’s engine room at a rate of 20 gallons per minute and a gas turbine failure.

This file footage from January 13 shows the ship in McMurdo Sound. Credit: US Coast Guard via Storyful